Nightshop’s Recreations of Neighbors in Children’s Clay

Dutch duo Ward van Gemert and Adriaan van der Ploeg, collectively known as Nightshop, began a partnership in 2010. And recently, the pair decided to recreate the heads of people on their street using resin-based children’s clay. The result of this effort is a collection of 30 life-sized, unsettling characters in a series called “The Strangers.” Nightshop is based in Rotterdam, a city in the Netherlands.

Though it may be rude to stare at their real-life counterparts, even if the duo wants to, “The Strangers” offer their own engrossing opportunity. “The result is a family of outcasts and strangers without any kind of filter,” the pair says. “Free to stare at until the cows come home.”

The vibrant original colors translate to fascinating hues on the faces of the characters, resulting in creations that resemble characters in pulp comics. Each head is about a foot tall, and is placed on a coated base. In a statement from the duo, they say they are interested in “mixing elements of high culture and popular culture into their designs. Also, they’re keen on investigating the boundaries between good taste and bad taste.”